Wu

"I was actually thinking of stepping down as king and getting rid of the monarchy all together... Now I know what you're going to say, 'I'm being lazy', 'I'm afraid of responsibility', 'I'm putting my singing career before my people', but it's none of those things. I really think the Earth Kingdom would be better off if the states were independent and had elected leaders."
— Wu on why he plans to step down as Earth King.[1]

Wu of the Hou-Ting Dynasty is a great-nephew of the late Earth Queen Hou-Ting and great-grandson of Earth King Kuei. He was forced to leave the Earth Kingdom due to its instability and sought refuge in Republic City, where he was crowned the 54th sovereign of the nation in 174 AG.[2] His authority was denounced by Kuvira and her supporters, however, after the former declared herself leader of the newly established "Earth Empire", which prevented him from returning to Ba Sing Se[3] and assuming his role as king.[4] Following his experiences during the attack on Republic City by Kuvira, Wu resolved to abolish the monarchy in favor of separating the Earth Kingdom into states with democratically elected leaders.[1]

Contents

History

Life in Republic City

Following the assassination of his great-aunt, Prince Wu was set to be crowned as the next king of the Earth Kingdom, though had to temporarily be relocated to Republic City to ensure his safety during the time of anarchy in the Earth Kingdom. While residing in the city, he was kept under constant surveillance by Mako, who was assigned as his personal bodyguard.

Much to his annoyance, Wu's flirting with Asami was interrupted by Mako, who told him PresidentRaiko wished to speak to him.

In 174 AG, the prince attended the grand reopening of Republic City's Central City Station, where he listened to PresidentRaiko's speech and posed for a picture when the president mentioned him. He proceeded to watch Asami Sato, who had been a driving force behind the modernization of the station, cut the ribbon. After the ceremony, the prince approached the Sato heiress and complimented her on the station, requesting to be given a personal tour someday. Although Asami dismissed his advances by quipping that she liked the idea of sending him away on a train, Wu laughed her comment away and proceeded to introduce himself as the future king of the Earth Kingdom and referred to himself as "super human" because of that status. He asked her out to a night in town, though before Asami could answer him, he was interrupted by Mako, who told him that President Raiko needed to talk to him in regards to his future position. Sighing about having to deal with politics, he waved a kiss in Asami's direction and asked her to think about his offer while he retreated toward the president.

When Wu heard from Tenzin that the United Forces would escort him back to the Earth Kingdom after his coronation, the prince asked the airbending master, President Raiko, and ChiefLin Beifong whether the Earth Kingdom was really safe enough for him to return, recalling the fate that befell his great-aunt, Queen Hou-Ting. Although the trio tried to reassure him, he was not convinced by their statements in regards to a "nearly" stabilized kingdom, "mostly" dispersed bandits, and an "almost" zero chance of him being assassinated.

As the heir to the Earth Kingdom throne, Prince Wu often dressed in high-class attire.

Wu retreated to his hotel, where he changed clothes before leaving his suite to pamper himself with a spa treatment that would last a minimum of four hours. He excitedly gushed about the treatment to Mako when his bodyguard asked incredulously what the prince could be having done that took that amount of time. As they neared the exit of the hotel, Wu noticed a gathered group of people and assumed them to be his fans in town for his coronation. He proudly strutted out onto the red carpet and posed for the people, even letting his picture be taken with two female fans. However, Mako quickly snatched him up and shoved them into the waiting Satomobile when Kuvira supporters began hurling a barrage of pies at the prince.

After dramatically proclaiming he was suffocating due to an allergic reaction to ingesting strawberries, Wu was pleased to have been told that he was only allergic to bee stings.

In the car, Wu saw that his abdomen was covered in a red substance and assumed that he had been severely wounded, beginning to writhe in pain. Mako informed him, however, that it was merely strawberry pie, which the prince confirmed by tasting it. Wu continued to sing Mako's praise for having saved him, stating that he would be lost without his bodyguard. He interrupted himself, however, when he realized that he had just tasted some strawberry, to which he claimed to be allergic. He dramatically fell to the floor of the Satomobile while clutching his throat, lamenting that he was having trouble breathing. When an annoyed Mako commented that Wu was allergic to bee stings and not strawberries, the prince stopped his antics and merrily sat down, resting on Mako's knees, and commented that he always got the two mixed up.

At some point during his stay in the city, Wu approached Raiko and asked him to assign Mako over to him as his permanent bodyguard who would accompany him to Ba Sing Se after his coronation, as Wu had claimed that he would not know what to do without him.

Later that night, Wu attended dinner at Air Temple Island, where he had an entertaining conversation about spa treatments with President Raiko and his wife, Buttercup Raiko. When an Air Acolyte announced the arrival of a ship from the Southern Water Tribe, Wu, Mako, Lin, the presidential couple, and Tenzin's family all went to the docks to greet Korra, as she had been scheduled to arrive that day. However, when it became apparent that Korra was not on the ship and had left the South six months prior, Wu looked to his companions in surprise while they all sported looks of worry.[2]

Coronation

The day before his coronation, Wu and Mako traveled to City Hall, where he excitedly detailed the schedule of the ceremony to Mako, which he predicted would be the most dynamite six-hour show the firebender would have ever seen. Upon being asked about his preparations to rule the kingdom, Wu waved off Mako's question, stating that he would have ministers to deal with that while the two of them would merely "live the life" in the capital. As President Raiko joined their conversation and inquired how Wu was holding up, the prince ran off to scold at a Metalbending Police Force officer for erecting bleachers in the place where he intended to have people perform the "Dance of the Badgermoles". To emphasize his point, Wu promptly started dancing.

Wu and Mako retired to the hotel, where the world leaders who would attend his coronation began to arrive. Upon spotting Kuvira, Wu approached her and complimented her appearance. Although she did not respond, he continued his attempt to swoon her by saying that he would talk to the hotel staff on her behalf in order to procure an upgrade for her room. When Kuvira dryly stated that she had no need for his help as she was staying in the Presidential Suite, Wu laughed the comment off as he was occupying that room. Being informed by the military leader that he had been moved out, the prince demanded from a nearby hotel clerk to tell him where all of his belongings were and grew disheartened upon learning that he had been relocated to a junior suite on the seventh floor of the hotel.

The following day, Wu was pacing through the lobby of City Hall, waiting anxiously for the arrival of his royal cabinet who would crown him king. As Gun and two other officials arrived merely ten minutes before the start of the ceremony, he promptly inquired where the rest of his servant and all of the royal relics were. He panicked upon being informed that the crown was among the things looted during the anarchy in the Earth Kingdom, wondering how people would realize he was officially the king without said object. His panic was soon replaced with anger as he realized that his ceremony would not be extravagant and that he was to be crowned by having an earring from the royal jewels be pinned on him as a Royal Brooch. When Gun tried to ease his misgivings about the jewel by showing him how it would look on his vest, he stormed off.

Shocked to hear his authority denounced by Kuvira and the Earth Kingdom replaced with an Earth Empire under her rule, Wu showed off his Royal Brooch as a defense for the legitimacy of his rule.

Despite his earlier resentment, Wu proudly accepted the Royal Brooch as he was crowned "king of all the earth lands and Glorious Defender of Ba Sing Se". In his speech, he thanked his countrymen for having worked hard to stabilize the country, which he deemed to have been done in order to place him, their "beloved leader", back on the throne. In that regard, he called forth Kuvira and bestowed her with the Kyoshi Medal of Freedom for her service to the kingdom. Upon her request, he allowed her to speech, noting bitterly that hey had six hours to fill anyway. When Kuvira denounced his authority and dissolved the Earth Kingdom, a shocked Wu showed off his brooch to all spectators as a defense for the legitimacy of his rule. As she finished her speech in which she appointed herself as the ruler of the new Earth Empire and received a standing ovation from many of the public, Wu slumped his head, muttering that it was the "worst coronation ever".

Wu retreated with Mako to his junior suite, where he lamented about the loss of his suite and his throne, declaring his royal brooch to be a lie. When Bolin knocked on the door, Wu bitterly ordered Mako to get rid of him as the king recognized the earthbender to be part of Kuvira's army. As Mako exited the room to talk with his brother, Wu hovered near the door, eavesdropping on the siblings' conversation. He was offended to hear Bolin refer to him as a "snotty, rich bozo". Upon his disgruntled bodyguard's reentry, Wu apologized to Mako and offered to cheer him up with a visit to the Little Ba Sing Se Fashion Mall, where he would treat the firebender to a smoothie.

After Wu threw a smoothie at Kuvira supporters, Mako was forced to usher him to safety.

At the mall, Wu was going over his shopping plans with his bodyguard, though cut himself short as he noticed two females wearing a T-shirt with Kuvira's face printed on the front. Offended, he asked them where they had purchased the item, following which he was directed to a small shop selling Kuvira merchandise. Angered, he ran over to the vendor and his customers, yelling that such goods could not be sold in the Little Ba Sing Se Fashion Mall as he was the "Little King" there and they needed to respect that position. Upon being booed at, he threw his smoothie at the customers, prompting Mako to drag him away from the angry mob.

While wearing fake royal artifacts, Wu broke down, labeling himself "a joke who got what he deserved".

The two sought refuge in the Upper Ring of the shopping mall, which Wu declared to be destiny as they arrived at a replica of the Earth Kingdom Royal Palace, which was in reality a restaurant. He excitedly ran inside and made a mad dash for the replica of the throne, shoving people aside. Wu rudely pulled the royal scepter out of the hands of a child that was sitting in the chair and snatched the royal robe away from the child's mother, declaring that the young boy would have a birthday next year to celebrate whereas he would never have another coronation day. Donning the crown and other royal artifacts, the king burst out into tears, declaring it to be the worst day of his life. When Mako told him that it was no wonder that the people favored Kuvira over him, as he, as opposed to her, had yet to do anything beneficial for the people of the kingdom, Wu calmed down and agreed with Mako, labeling himself "a joke who got what he deserved". They were forced to flee again, however, when Mako spotted the angry Kuvira supporters. Wu asked to be carried, though was denied that request.[3]

Targeted

When Mako met up to have lunch with Korra and Asami, Wu insisted on accompanying his bodyguard and promised to be on his best behavior. Upon meeting the Avatar for the first time, he immediately got rather close to her to introduce himself as the rightful heir to the Earth Kingdom throne and Mako's boss, thereby interrupting his bodyguard's reunion with her. Learning that Mako had told Korra nothing about him, the prince jovially announced that they had so much to talk about then. He led Korra to the booth and ordered their food, entrusting her with the knowledge that he drank a lot of aloe-cucumber water to keep his "princely" skin hydrated. Wu was disappointed when the Avatar shot down his request of letting him see her "eyes glow" by refusing to enter the Avatar State. Moments later, he tried to console Mako when he grew annoyed after learning that Korra had been in contact with Asami during her recovery and not with him.

When tension among the team rose even higher, Wu excused himself from the table to go to the bathroom. As Mako made no movement to follow him, the prince snapped his fingers and urged his bodyguard to action, as he needed him to stand guard. He dejectedly stalked off, however, after Mako snapped at him that he was not going to hold his hand and that the prince should go by himself for once. Entering the bathroom, he smiled friendly at the attendant, who offered him a spritz of cologne to freshen up, and spread his arms to receive a double dose. It turned out to be a trap, however, and as Wu was slipping into unconsciousness, he feebly called out to Mako for help, to no avail. He was placed in a laundry basket and rolled out of the restaurant where a getaway vehicle was awaiting them. High on the anesthetic, Wu rolled out of the bags of laundry once he was in the truck, inadvertently alerting Korra of his whereabouts. Although Team Avatar gave chase, his kidnappers managed to shake them momentarily, utilizing the unguarded moment to transfer Wu into a Satomobile heading toward Central City Station, where he was locking inside a chest and loaded on a train toward Omashu.

Wu was rescued by Mako from his impromptu prison inside a luggage chest.

Wu regained consciousness inside his new confinement and started to stir, once again inadvertently alerting Korra and her friends about his whereabouts. When Mako opened the chest, the prince flailed about, only to be calmed by his bodyguard. Dazed, he asked where he was and if he was dead, though was told he was merely on a train. When Kuvira's agents closed in on them, Wu refused to ascend to the train's roof as Korra requested, though was forcefully blown on there with her airbending. After he landed on his face, he was helped up by Mako, who dragged him along and threw him toward Korra when they needed to jump from one wagon to the next. Being held erect helplessly by Korra while Team Avatar fought to protect him, Wu was pulled along by the Avatar, who created an air sphere around everyone to enable them all to make a safe landing after jumping from the speeding train and down a bridge.

Wu wanted to join in on Team Avatar's group hug, though was forcefully held back by Korra.

When Mako pulled him to his feet, inquiring if he was all right, Wu promptly hugged him, thanking him profusely and stating Mako was in for a raise. Being told that Korra was the reason they had found him, the prince bowed for her and offered to take her out on a night on the town to repay her. As she skeptically asked about his timing, he hopefully wondered if that was a "maybe", though was promptly corrected that it meant she would never go out with him. He stood by as Team Avatar reconciled their differences and warmly embraced each other. When he wanted to join in on the hug, however, Wu was pushed back by Korra with a hand to his face. Undeterred, he placed his hands on Mako's shoulders, as that was all that he could reach, and noted that they were the best friends a guy could have.

When Korra inquired what they were going to do with him, Wu readily agreed with her statement that it was too dangerous to take him back to the Four Elements and added that he needed a "cushy safe house". He was subsequently taken to the Sato estate, which he initially mistook for being Mako's. When he was introduced to Yin, Wu knelt before the old woman and bestowed her with a kiss on the hand, stating it to be an honor. As the elder fainted, Wu thanked Mako for looking out for him by bringing him to a luxurious place with people who adored royalty, before leaving their company to use the facilities.[4]

Learning about Mako's past

Realizing that he did not know anything about Mako, Wu ordered his bodyguard to sit down and tell him all about him.

Wu acknowledged later on that he needed to learn how to defend himself and took Mako up on his offer to be "toughened up". After assuming a poor defensive stance, allowing Mako to deliver an easy punch to his stomach, the prince sagged down, crying "Wu down". Yin quickly rushed to his aid and cradled him, asking Wu if he would like a cherry-berry lemonade, an offer he gladly accepted, requesting some sticky dumplings to eat as well. He was berated by Mako for his order, however, as the firebender deemed him to be so weak that "Wu down" was his catchphrase. Sitting up, he readily agreed with the statement, though explained that it was not his fault as he was born that way. Emphasizing his statement, he made a comparison with Mako, stating that they were vastly different since he was not "raised in the woods by a pack of cops". When Mako noted that the prince did not know anything about him, Wu realized to his surprise that he indeed did not know anything about his bodyguard. He started asking Mako some personal questions and, upon learning that he had once dated the Avatar, promptly turned their self-defense class into a gab session.

Intending to become a better king, Wu agreed to receive self-defense lessons from Mako, though he was easily knocked down each time.

Mako began to tell his life story, though Wu immediately interrupted him, impressed by Mako's former career as a pro-bender. He chided his bodyguard for his treatment of Korra the first time he met the Avatar, though was reprimanded himself for being rude by interrupting the story. As Mako relayed how he and Korra grew closer, Wu guessed that the two "smooched" real good after a while, though was amused to learn that Mako was stumped for words when he first saw Asami. He jabbed good-heartedly at the firebender that he needed to work on his introductions, though was rebutted that someone with charm like Mako's did not need introductions. Wu sympathized with Korra when Mako shot her down and cheered when they kissed, though noted that Asami could not be happy with that situation. He was confused over Mako's breakup with Asami, deeming it to be ambiguous, and expressed his hope that Mako had been more clear about his feelings with Korra. Learning of the way Mako had broken up with Korra, he cheerfully noted that it truly had been a breakup indeed. When Mako came to the part where Asami kissed him after her warehouse had been robbed clean, Wu corrected his bodyguard, who believed the prince thought that he had no right kissing Asami, and stated that he was perfectly fine with him kissing the Sato heiress, since he was not dating anyone at that time. Wu grew indignant, however, when he learned that Mako had not told an amnesic Korra that they were no longer together and that he had rekindled his relationship with Asami. As Tu pointed out that Mako seemed so afraid to disappoint anyone that he ended up disappointing everyone, Wu readily agreed with that statement and high-fived his bodyguard's cousin. When Mako said that he needed to figure out who he was without a lady in his life, Wu sympathized with that statement, bragging that he had a hard time keeping the women away from him. As Mako ended his story, Wu stood up, commenting that it had been amazing, taking away from it that he really did not know Mako and that women were complicated. Due to that realization, he was inspired to just focus on bettering himself as a king, urging Mako to resume their sparring match, bragging that he could take the attack. He dramatically fell down, however, after one light punch from the firebender, crying his signature "Wu down" catchphrase.[5]

Diplomatic meeting

Wu proposed eccentric ideas to stop Kuvira, though found his ideas quickly shot down by the other world leaders, making him feel outclassed by their serious demeanor.

Wu later traveled back to Republic City with Mako in order to attend a meeting at City Hall between the world leaders, sans the Water Tribes' representation, about the "Kuvira problem". He agreed with President Raiko that they needed to deal with Kuvira immediately and proposed to do so by luring her to a tropical island that was converted to a prison by telling her that she had won an all-expense-paid vacation. When Tenzin shot the idea down by merely skeptically raising his eyebrow, Wu proposed to march against Kuvira with an army of highly trained badgermoles, though found his idea silently shot down again, this time by Fire LordIzumi. Disheartened, he quietly asked if Kuvira had any known allergies, though found himself ignored. When the meeting was interrupted by Korra and Opal's arrival, Wu casually greeted the Avatar, explaining that the world leaders had gathered to try to find a solution for the Kuvira problem and that he had told Raiko she should have been invited to participate. Wu looked on in shock when Varrick and Bolin barged in not long after, exclaiming that they had "top secret information" for them.[6]

Wu later attended another meeting with Mako, Raiko, Korra, Tenzin, Varrick, and Asami, during which the latter two presented their plans to manufacture a mecha suit that could fly in any direction as a defensive measure against Kuvira's attack. After Korra suggested she could ask the spirits for help as well, Wu noted that while offensive measures were being taken, they should also start evacuating the city to safeguard the people. Raiko agreed with his suggestion and ordered him to work with the police to coordinate the evacuation. Leaving the presidential office, he was complimented on his actions by Mako, though ruined the moment by stating that he was only playing the role of "man of the people" in order to have a chance at dating Korra. Wu clarified that men only ever did something great to be able to pick up women.[7]

Evacuating Republic City

To everyone's astonishment, Wu's calm demeanor managed to calm the people of Republic City and urge them to evacuate due to Kuvira's imminent attack.

At another meeting with Korra, Raiko, Mako, and Tenzin, Wu announced that they had barely evacuated eighteen families at that moment and casually agreed with a shocked Korra that it could be better. After Zhu Li alerted all the gathered parties that Kuvira intended to attack the city two weeks later, Wu traveled to the police headquarters with Lin and Mako, where the latter used the city's emergency broadcast line to alert all the citizens of the now mandatory evacuation order. When Mako's instructions created a panic among the people, Wu took over and addressed the citizens in a calm and collected manner. He sympathized with their fears by reminiscing about his own in regards to going to the bathroom and motivated everyone to not let themselves be controlled by them. Inspiring the people that they were winners, Wu managed to calm them down and guide them toward the nearest bus, train, or ferry station to evacuate the city in an orderly fashion. As the panicked calls to the police station died down, Wu was complimented for his action by Lin, who noted that he would make a good king after all.

Wu headed down to Central City Station, where he received Pema's help to guide people to board a train in a collected manner. They increased their efforts, however, after it became apparent that Kuvira would arrive a week ahead of schedule.[8] When she arrived, Wu remained with all the refugees that had yet to be evacuated. As the battle waged on, it was revealed that Kuvira's army destroyed all train tracks leading out of the city, a critical blow to the evacuation effort. Wu decided to leave and seek another form of help, telling Pema to keep the refugees calm. As the people inside the train station grew anxious, Wu decided that the best way to save them was with Badgermoles from the nearby zoo as they could tunnel under the city. Using his singing skills, Wu ordered the badgermoles to start digging tunnels for the people to escape.

During the entire walk underground, Wu's singing became grating on the other evacuees. They were nearly captured by members of Kuvira's army, being cornered by mecha suits. Wu unsuccessfully tried to prevent the soldiers from taking all the refugees by telling them he was the one they came for; instead, he continued singing, prompting the badgermoles to dig further into the ground and turn around, crushing the suits and allowing for the evacuees to escape safely. The royal showed his affection for the creatures by patting one of them and singing compliments.[9]

Abolishing the monarchy

After Kuvira's defeat, Wu attended Varrick and Zhu Li's wedding on Air Temple Island. While talking to Mako, Wu waved off any disappointment about not being set up with Korra by saying that a good evacuation was its own reward. He was approached by Korra, who asked if he was ready to return to Ba Sing Se and take his throne. To both Korra's and Mako's astonishment, Wu decided to abolish the monarchy and leave the Earth Kingdom separated. He also decided that the newly established Earth States would have their own democratic system of government. The royal was praised by Mako and Korra for arriving at such a decision and was given a pledge for assistance by the latter. Wu expressed his readiness to work with her before returning to the dance floor.[1]

Personality

Accustomed to getting his way, Wu sometimes exhibits little regard for the feelings of others. Although he loves being around others and even tried to sympathize and bond with them, he makes sure that he has something to gain from it as well.[3] Spoiled and somewhat naive, Wu thinks the world of himself and is oblivious to people not sharing that notion. Talkative and a materialistic, his conversation topics usually revolve around himself or the benefits of being royalty. As such, his main motivation in involving himself in world matters is to attract women. Loving attention, he can also overreact to situations, naturally drawing attention to himself.[2] Despite this, Wu is accepting of his mistakes and their consequences when pointed out to him.[3]

Despite his casualness, Wu can keep a level head when needed, as demonstrated when he calmed the panicking citizens of Republic City after Mako had confused and scared them with his evacuation instructions.[8] In addition, he learned to overcome most of his fears, as he hardly flinched when Earth Empire soldiers threatened him and the other evacuees and readily offered himself to save the others.[9]

Abilities

Wu is a natural talker, having no qualms about public speaking; as such, he is able to calm large crowds and inspire people.[8] He is also quick thinker, as evidenced when he subtly ordered his badgermoles to attack the three Earth Empire mecha suits that compromised the escape of the Republic City evacuees.[9]